No Escape From The Storm Inside
by SongsofPsyche1945
Summary: They knew something was wrong the minute Killian stumbled through the door. He was covered in dirt, and his hair was mattered with mud and leaves. Usually, this disheveled state was normal for the pirate but what was unsettling was that Hook was quiet. TRIGGER WARNING; mentions of sexual assault, violence and self harm. CaptainSwan.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first time posting in this fandom, please go easy on me!

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Emma sat down at the table at the end o fGranny's Dinner, feeling exhausted from a day of grueling busy work. Now that the Wicked Witch was gone, and David had rehired her as sheriff, she had a ton of paperwork to file at the station. Henry was at Regina's for the night, Hook was off…somewhere, probably doing something piratey, and Mary Margarat was home with the baby. This was the first night she had to herself in quite a while, and she was surprisingly excited to eat her lasagna in peace.

David sat down across from her with a cup of coffee and he her a small smile.

"Evening Emma." he said kindly

Emma nodded back with a little smirk, "Evening, your majesty."

David shook his head and chuckled, "Emma, will you quit with that. I'm your dad."

"That sounds even worse."

"Worse than your boss? Have you seen Hook? I wanted to ask him about that spell the wicked witch cast on him."

Emma shook her head, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him all evening."

"He will always be a bumbling vagabond. Are you going to look for him after this?"

Emma laughed, and felt glad that she wasnt the only one who thought of Killian as a little too adventurous.

"He's a big boy, he can rescue himself. How was-"

But she never finished her sentence, as she was cut off by the main door of Granny's Diner opening. They knew something was wrong the minute Killian stumbled through the door. He was covered in dirt, and his hair was mattered with mud and leaves. Usually, this disheveled state was normal for the pirate but was was unsettling was that Hook was quiet. He stood there in the doorway with an empty look on his face and a tremble on his lips. When he finally spoke, it was a mumbled stutter;

"I-I need to w-wash up-"

And they he started walking no-limping towards his room, the room that he stilled slept in even though Emma had offered him a place at her home.

"Killian-?" David started, concerned for his friend, but Hook didnt stop. Emma exchanged a nervous glace with David as Hook disappeared into up the stairs that led to Granny's Inn. What was going on?

After a few moments of dense silence, David finally stood, Emma looked up at him.

"I'm going to see if he's okay" David said quietly. Emma nodded, but stayed where she was. She had a feeling that Hook did not want to be crowded right now. She watched Davidran up the stairs and waited, for a sound, or a voice, something that said her friend was okay. There was nothing but silence.

Emma tapped her fingers against the table, there was something about the way Hook looked that troubled her. And the fact that he barely said a word. Usually Hook never stopped talking, what had happened?

Emma jumped a little when the heard the backdoor open. She looked up and saw David step into the room, a grim look on his face.

"Is everything okay?" Emma asked

David started to shake his head, but then he stopped himself and shrugged.

"I don't know, Emma." he said quietly in a tone that made Emma shiver.

"Did he tell you what-"

"Can you go grab some of his clothes? I think they are still in the dryer downstairs." David interrupted.

Emma paused, but then nodded and stood up. Hook actually did laundry?

"What's going-"

"Just go. I'll tell you later."

Emma nodded, and stood up, feeling slightly hurt that David wouldn't tell her what was going on.

When Emma returned from grabbing Hook's clothes, she walked straight up to the pirate's room and knocked softly. She heard a quiet gasp, and then David's whispered assurances; "it's only Emma, with your clothes. It's alright, no one is going to hurt you." and then the door opened a notch and David's head poked out. Emma smelled soapy water as it wafted out, and heard the splashing of the water, but Hook was silent.

"Here are his clothes." Emma said softly, "Is everything okay? What's going on?" she asked again.

"Everything will be fine. He can't stay here by himself though. I'm going to let him stay in our guest room, and let him rest until we get this all sorted out." David said, his tone grim and serious. Emma nodded and handed him the bundle.

" Does he need the hospital? What else can I do?" he asked

"He won't go. He says he just needs to rest and he'll be fine."

"And you believe that?"

David shrugged, and then said. "Coult you wait here with him.? I'm going to help him get dressed, and then go talk to Snow and get the room ready. Can you sit with him while I go?" he asked.

Emma nodded, "Sure, no problem."

And David shut the door again.

Emma paused in the hallway, unsure of what to do, unsure if she should be listening to the whispers coming through the door. Finally, after what seemed like ages, David emerged and closed the door behind him.

"Emma?" he asked, beaconing her towards him.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to go get things sorted out. Can you sit with him until I get back?" David paused, then took a deep breathe, "Emma, I'm not sure-he's a little freaked out-he doesn't want to be touched, just-just be there for him, okay?" he asked with a pained expression on his face.

David gripped her shoulder in what seemed to be a reassuring way, but Emma could feel his fingernails digging into his skin. Emma just nodded, still confused about what was going on.

"Did he tell you-?" he started to ask, but David shook his head.

"He hasn't said a word-i think he's in shock. He needs a quiet place to rest, then I think he'll get better." David explained.

Emma nodded again, "okay."

David gave his shoulder another squeeze and then turned away, jogging towards the stairs.

Emma waited until his footsteps faded to knock softly on the door.

" Hook?—-Killian?" She asked softly, "It's Emma, may I come in?"

Emma paused, but she didn't hear an answer. She opened the door quietly and stepped in. The hotel was empty, but the bathroom door was a jar. She opened it, and was met with a sorrowful sight;

Hook was sitting with his back against the wall, knees tucked up against his chest, his wet hair lank against his face. He did not look up when Emma entered, or do anything at all except hunch his shoulders in, making his appear smaller than he seemed.

Emma felt lost at what to do. Hook was so different, so still and quiet. It scared scared, but she also felt a rush of anger. Whomever did this to her friend was going to pay. She let a breath out, and then walked over and kneeled next to him. Now she could see that most of the dirt on his face was actually bruises, like someone had beaten him badly.

Emma did not miss the shudder, or how Hook leaned away from her.

"Killian?" Emma asked again, she gently put his hand on his friend's knee.

"Everything is going to be okay." she said, trying to be reassuring, but then she felt Hook flinch under her touch so she moved her hand away.

Emma sighed, then leaned back against the tub, mindfully aware of the distance between them. She could see Hook was shaking but trying hard not to show it. What _had _happened? To make him so scared? Hook seemed incredibly small in the baggy nightclothes he wore. It was so unlike him, to be small and quiet. He seemed to be battling with something internally. He kept shuddering and shaking his head, unaware of where he was, or whom he was sitting with. Emma sensed that he was drifting farther and farther away, and she had no idea how to bring him back.

_But I have to try. _ Emma thought.

"Killian?" she said, and when her friend didn't respond she said it again.

"Everything is going to be okay. You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you. Killian? Look at me." Emma asked. Killian froze, but after a few moments he looked up. Their eyes met for a split second and then Killian looked away.

Emma sighed. "whatever happened, you can tell me. Im not just the savior or whatever, I'm also your friend, no matter what." she said gently, eyes never leaving his friend's face. Hook nodded his head slightly. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. He let out a shaky breathe and then another one. Emma smiled a little but she didn't want to say anything to break this sudden change in atmosphere. Hook seemed less tense now, than before. And Emma realized that they didn't need words to be comfortable with each other. She felt a sudden surge of confidence, whatever this was, whatever was ailing his friend, they could fix it.

They both jumped when David knocked on the door, and the comfortable spell that was between them broke. Hook shuddered again and lowered his head. Emma stood up and opened the door.

David smiled slightly when he say him. "How's everything going?" he asked softly. Emma just shrugged. "It's going, I guess."

"Good. can you- can you help-lets bring him over?" David asked awkwardly.

Emma nodded, then opened the door wider. She turned to her friend, walked over and kneeled down next to him.

"Killian?" David's here. Lets get you to bed. He's going to take you to his house. Everything will be better in the morning, I promise."

Killian nodded slowly without opening his eyes. Emma stood, then backed up, giving Killian room to stand on his own. Hook winced slightly as he pushed himself up to standing, he clutched his right side with his left arm and swayed a little.

"Whoa, you're okay?" Emma asked , reaching out to steady her friend. Hook's eyes flashed opened and he flinched away from Emma's touch. Emma immediately withdrew her hand.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." she whispered, and took a few steps back. It was only was when she had given Hook enough space did he move on his own, towards the door. Emma noticed that he was limping slightly and exchanged a concerned look with David before he opened the door wider and gestured for them to follow him.

The walk down to the Charming's residence was long and silent. The only sounds were from the shuffle of their shoes, and the occasional sniff from Hook-the loudest sound he had made since they found him. No one talked, or laughed and it was so unsettling to Emma, she had to think that this was a dream. Some crazy plan that Regina had come up with, or another scheme of Rumplestilskin, who had never truly gotten over his vengeance for Hook.

But then Emma saw the real pain in Hook's carefully masked face, the tremor of his hand as it fidgeted with his sleeve, and the limp in his walk and Emma knew that this was no dream. This was real, a real person had attacked her friend and Emma honestly had no idea what to do next.

They got to the rooms quickly enough. No one had stopped them in the streets or asked any questions. _One of the advantages of being with the crown prince of Storeybrooke, right?_ Emma thought sullenly. David opened the door for them and they followed him in to the guest bedroom.

Hook limped over to the bed, but didn't sit. He looked around a little, and then back down at his feet. He seemed to be thinking things over. Emma couldn't help but look around the room. This had been her bedroom when she had roomed with Mary Margaret, before the curse had been broken.

"Killian?" David asked, Killian jumped but then looked up towards him.

"You can rest now. We'll figure everything else out in the morning. It will get better, I promise." David told him, gesturing towards the bed.

Killian nodded, and then sat down.

"Emma and I will be right outside, if you need anything." David continued, giving a nod to Emma's confused stare. Emma then realized that David intended to keep her here with them tonight and felt grateful for her dad. He knew how close she was with Hook, and how much she cared about him. Hook nodded again, and then laid down, favoring his left side. He let out a shaky breathe and closed his eyes.

Emma tapped the bed gently with her hand.

"Try to get some rest, Hook. We'll see you in the morning." She said quietly and then he followed David out, closing the door softly behind her.

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Thank you for reading! Please review, and stayed tuned for the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

***I put the warnings in the summary for a reason. This story does deal with triggering material, so please read with care. If you know this subject matter will make you upset, then please don't read it and definitely don't complain about it in a review. You know yourself more than I do so please protect yourself.

Writing this story actually means quite a lot to me as the subject matter hits closer to home than I would like it. I would also like to say that in no way am I supporting sexual assault as a mere plot device or kink meme. It is used too often just as plot device in general and it's maddening when that's ALL it is.

So that's not what I'm doing.

I'm focusing on the aftermath, and healing. But before I write about that I have to set up the setting.

It's obvious what's happened to Killian, the great big warnings on the header give it away. And I also believe that there are reasons he'd have a hard time hiding what's happened, especially in a close-knit group such as this.

So once again; read with care.***

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Emma barely slept that night. The haunted look in Hook's eyes kept looming into her dreams. When morning finally came, Emma felt even more exhausted then she had been the night before. She wondered what would happen, now that it was morning. Would Hook tell them what happened? Would he tell them anything at all?

Emma sighed, then sat up slowly in the pull away bed. The Charming's bedroom had be renovated since she had last lived there, and it definitely screamed "new parents". She wondered how they were doing with little baby Neal. Emma turned to her left and saw David laying on his bed, but he was awake, Emma could see the glint of his eyes as he looked around the ceiling, deep in thought. Emma once again wondered what David hd seen, and for his desecration.

Emma cleared his throat, and David startled.

"Ah! You scared me! Did you sleep well?" he asked, sitting up in his bed. Emma nodded, "You're living the life, David. I could get used to this." she said with a smile, sitting up in her bed.

David shrugged, he was always so modest about his heritage. He stood up, stretched, and then folded down the blankets on his bed. Emma, following his lead, did the same. She straightened out her clothes and then started shifting around for her boots. Once she found them, she stood back up and looked at David.

"Hook?" She asked softly.

David nodded, a sullen expression on his face.

"Did he say anything to you last night?" he asked.

Emma shook his head. "Not a word. Did he tell you anything?"

David shook his head, "No but his injuries spoke for themselves. Someone beat him-badly. He had bruises everywhere and I think-I think—" David paused, a pained expression on his face.

"What?" Emma asked

But David shook his head,

"Nothing, its nothing, just-I've never seen anyone so scared, Emma. He wouldn't let me touch him at all, and he wouldn't say anything. Something happened to him, something bad. I want to find out who-or what did this to his so we can make it right."

Emma nodded in agreement, "Yeah, me too. I want to catch the creep who did this and...and teach him a lesson!"

David laughed a little, " Don't worry, I'll help you. Who do you think did it? Mr. Gold? Not Regina…?" he asked

Emma thought for a sec, but then shook her head, "Nah, I don't think either of them have enough courage in them. This looks like the work of something human, or if it were magic, I would have felt it."

Even though Emma didn't say it outloud, deep down she had an idea to what had happened to her friend. After being on the streets for 28 years, things like assaults were easy to identify. And by the way Hook was acting, she had an inkling that it was just that.

Killian was still in bed when David knocked and opened the door, but his eyes were open. When he saw them, he shuddered slightly and pulled the covers tightly around his arms with his good hand. Emma saw the gleam of his hook on the counter, he must have taken it off himself during the night. She hesitated at the door. Did Killian really want this right now? Even from a distance Emma saw the paleness of his face, and the tear tracks that stained his cheeks.

"Hey Killian" Emma said softly, touching the bed with her hand. David schootched past her and kneeled down so he was eye level with Hook.

"Hook? Killian?" he asked in a soft voice, he waited until Hook was looking at him, and then continued.

"How're you doing? Are you feeling better?" David asked. Hook shrugged his shoulders and then pushed himself up to sitting, wincing slightly. He clutched his right side and pulled his knees up to his chest and shuddered, then he closed his eyes.

Emma gently sat down at the foot of the bed. She wanted to help, but he wasn't sure how to.

Hook took a couple of deep breathes, then opened his eyes again. He let out a little sigh, then gave a slight nod.

"Are you ready to tell us what happened?" David asked, in the same gentle voice.

Killian shifted and then winced again. He looks up at Emma, their eyes meeting for a second and then he glanced away with a slight shake of his head. Emma suddenly knew what Hook was telling them; he wasn't ready to talk, not now, maybe not ever. As much as Emma wanted to know what happened so they could catch the guy that did this, Emma knew that they had to wait until Hook was ready.

"It's okay, you can tell us when you're ready." Emma said softly, and then asked "Are you hungry? We should get some breakfast."

"And a Doctor. Can you tell us what hurts? We don't want your injuries to go unattended." David added in.

Hook shrugged his shoulders, then winced and clutched his right side.

"Doctor first?" David asked, looking at Emma.

"Doctor first." Emma confirmed.

David stood. "I'll go get the Dr. Whale, he should be up by now. Can you-?"

"I'll stay" Emma finished for him, and David smiled.

"I'll be back. Don't go anywhere." he said, and then he trotted out the door, closing it softly behind he was gone, Emma sighed a little, then turned to Hook.

"You know I'll always be here for you, right?" Emma asked gently. Killian gave her a small smile and nodded.

"I want to make sure you are safe, and that we catch whomever did this to you so he can be judged for what he did. I know it's probably the last thing you want to think about, but can you try to tell me what happened? Who did this to you?" Emma asked, trying to make sure her voice remained soft so she wouldn't scare Hook.

Killian lowered his head and clenched his hand into a fist. He shuddered slightly then shook his head again. He wasn't ready, Emma could tell that.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me right now. Only when you are ready, Killian. I promise I won't pry." Emma added, hoping to calm him. But Killian seemed to be lost in his memories of last night. His hand came up, and his fingers tangled into his hair.

"No no no no no no, stop, please stop. No no no."

Emma heard it as a bare whisper. He looked at Killian, trying to fathom who could have scared his so badly that the mere memory of him triggered-whatever this reaction was. Emma had never seen anyone so scared-traumatized. She didn't know what to do, or how to fix it. David seemed so much better at but then again, he was _David _, he could do no wrong..

"Hook? Killian I'm sorry. Please, please stop. It's okay, you're safe now." Emma pleaded, but Killian ignored her. Emma scooted closer to her friend, who in turn flinched away from her. Emma wanted to grab hold of Killian, to embrace him and tell his everything was going to be okay but she couldn't; Killian wouldn't let anyone touch him.

Emma quickly grabbed the hand that was pulling at Killian's hair.

"Please don't do that." she asked softly, and she felt it tremble and shake underneath her firm grasp.

Killian froze, then finally looked up at her.

"Emma?" he asked in a small whisper.

Emma smiled, "Yes, yes it's me. You're safe now." she said, then Killian's face crumbled and he tried to twist his wrist away from Emma's hands but she didn't let go.

"It won't stop. He won't stop. Please please, make them stop." Killian pleaded in the same desperate voice, his eyes rimming with tears.

"Make who stop? Who did this?" Emma asked, but Killian only shuddered and flinched his head away.

"I promise it will stop. Just tell me what happened and I will fix it. Please, Killian." Emma asked softly. Her vision went blurry as her eyes filled with tears, she hated seeing Hook like this, Killian was usually so proud and composed, eyes always full of mischief and laughter. It made her heart ache to see him in such a state. She would anything to make things right again, to have them go back to where they were smiling and laughing again.

"Stop, stop. No, no no no no no." the mantra continued from the vicinity of Killian's knees. Emma brought her hands, still holding her friends wrist and squeezed it gently.

"I'll make them stop. I promise." she whispered. And then finally-finally Killian reached for her. He grabbed Emma's shirt collar and pulled her in close, bowing his head down into her chest.

"Please, please make it stop. I can't-he won't, he won't-" Killian muttered softly.

Emma let go of Killian's wrist and gently patted his back, she felt him tense but he didn't flinch away from her touch.

"You will be okay, I promise. You're safe now, he won't ever hurt you again. I promise." Emma told him softly.

There was a soft knock on the door; David had returned with the doctor. Immediately Hook stiffened, and he moved away, out of Emma's grasp. Emma let him, not wanting to startle him any further.

"It's okay, it's just Davids and Dr. Whale." she told Killian, and then she turned towards the door.

"Come in." Emma called softly. She felt Killian shudder under the covers.

David came though the door, followed by the doctor, and surprisingly, Mr. Gold.

David and Emma exchanged glances.

"He saw I was in a panic, and insisted on coming. He wants to help, Emma." David said

Emma nodded, but didn't say anything.

Mr. Gold looked grim as he silently entered the room and approached Killian, who kept his head bowed, hiding his face in the shadows. Mr. Gold acknowledged Emma with a quick nod and a sad smile, and Emma returned the nod.. Mr. Gold gently placed his hand on top of Hook's head, and he shuddered slightly at the touch. Mr. Gold's brow furrowed as he thought, and then he lifted his hand up. He shook his head sadly and sighed, then he spoke:

"A great warrior has been wounded, but the greater wound is in his soul. But fear not, with the help of those who love him, he will heal in you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask myself, or Belle."

He then nodded at Emma, and then gave a little bow to David before turning to leave. He opened the door, but then turned to David.

"I can take over the station for the weekend, if you wish. I believe you will all need the rest."

David nodded, "Thank you, sir." he answered for botth of them. Mr. Gold bowed his head, and then with a click of his cane, he left.

Dr. Whale, who had been setting up his bandages and ointments stepped up to the bed, holding a tin of salve in his hand. He greeted them with a soft "Good morning" and smiled.

"David has informed me on what has happened, I will try my best to make sure you're comfortable." He said, mainly to Killian, who nodded but didn't look up.

David tapped on the bed lightly.

"Would you like us to step outside?" he asked. Killian looked up, eyes lighting on David, Emma and then the doctor before he nodded. David frowned, but stepped back respectfully.

"Alright. We will be in the next room if you need us." He said and then gestured for Emma to follow him outside. Emma stood up and put a hand on Dr. Whale's shoulder,

"Thank you." she said softly, and then followed David out the door.

Once they were in the hallway, David turned to Emma, his brow furrowed in worry.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" David asked

Emma nodded, "After some time, yes. He's really scared, David. We have to find out who did this to him." she said.

"Did he say anything to you while I was gone?" David asked as they walked towards the living room.

"He didn't say much, but-"

David stopped and turned around, eyes glinting in the morning light.

"He spoke to you?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah, he did but it wasn't much-"

"What did he say?"

"It was-I don't know- he was coming out of a trance. He recognized me, finally looked me in the eye but then something came over him. He started pulling his hair, and he kept asking me to make it stop, to make him stop. But that was it, that's all he said." Emma answered honestly, looking up at David.

David nodded, "He said that last night too. Don't worry, Emma. We'll figure this out." He said as he sat down on the couch and fumbled with an orange he had picked up on the breakfast table.

"I wonder why he wanted us to leave." Emma asked as she picked at her breakfast. "Doesn't he trust us?"

David shrugged, "I don't know, Emma. Everything seems different now."

"What are we going to do?"

"Wait, I guess. And keep watch, and be there for him. Thats all we can do." David answered, a sad look in his eyes.

They sat in silence for a few moments, picking at the breakfast that had been brought to them.

Emma sighed,"Where's Snow?" She asked.

"She took the baby to Granny's. She thought we needed some privacy."

"That's good—"

But she was cut off by Dr. Whale re-emerging from Hook's walked in, his heavy bag hanging from his shoulder.

"How is he?" David asked, as he pulled over a chair for the doctor to sit. He declined it, but set his bag down at his feet.

"Do you know who his attacker was?" he asked

David shook his head, "No, we don't know anything. He hasn't said much yet."

"This wasn't a just random act of violence, this was an act of hate. Whoever did this was skilled in the means of torture." Dr. Whale said, a grim look on his face.

"He has bruises, and cuts that were put there purposefully to cause pain and distress. Whoever did this wanted information from him." he continued.

"He also has a few broken ribs, but I wasn't able to do a full examination. He wouldn't let me look at his legs, or his back. I would like to come back later, maybe when he is more relaxed and finish. Is that all right?" he said calmly, looking back and forth between them.

David nodded, "Of course. Is there anything else we should be doing?"

"Let him rest, and make sure he eats something today. Would you like me to file an official report?" she asked

David nodded, "You can send the report to the station, once Hook tells us who his attacker was, we can start an official investigation."

Dr. Whale nodded, "I'll fill out a report immediately. I will be in my office if you need anything else." he said and picked up his back.

"Take care now." he said softly, then he bowed slightly to David, turned and left, shutting the door softly behind him.

Once Dr. Whale left, David turned to Emma.

"I want you to start an investigation. I want to find whoever did this. I will start by finding out where Killian was last night, can you go down to the market and see if you can pick up on any rumors, anything that speaks ill of him?" David told him. Emma nodded.

"And what of Killian?"

"I'll have Snow sit with him for a time, I think he will want to rest today." David answered.

Emma nodded, and then reached for her jacket. Pulling it on, she looked at David.

"Killian is like a brother to me. We will find out who did, I can promise you that."

David smiled a sad smile,. He reached over and touched Emma's arm.

"Thank you."

He turned and left, leaving Emma alone in the room. Emma sighed, and then straightened Her coat. She had a lot of work a head of her.

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Thank you all for the lovely reviews, follows and favorites! They are my fuel!


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the real one, sorry for the mix up!

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"Hey guys, it's Mary Margaret. I just heard about what happened. Is everyone okay? Is Killian okay?" A voice asked through the closed door of the Charming Household.

Emma took another sip of her tea. Her rounds of the town had not been sucessful. She hadn't found anything about Killian's attacker, and now she was starting to feel defeated. Whomever did this hid their tracks well.

"Yes! Hold on!" Emma shouted, and then opened the door, revealing a very worried Mary Margaret and a very sleepy Neal.

"Hey Snow. I think so. I don't know, actually. Dr. Whale was here this mornig, David and I have been trying all afternoon to find something but we haven't found anything yet." Emma answered as she helped Snow inside.

She rolled the baby carriage into the kitchen, with the sleeping Neal inside and then took off her coat. "What happened? What did the doctor say?"

"He thinks it was direct attack. They beat him up pretty badly."

"Oh no. Has he told you what happened yet?" Snow asked

"Nothing yet, but I think he's still in shock, or something. But maybe he'll talk to you, you seem to have that affect on people." David added, pointing to the door.

"Where is he now?

"In his room, resting." David answered

"May I see him?" Snow asked

Emma nodded, who knew? Maybe Snow could coax out just what happened. Even though Hook and Snow didn't know each other very well, Snow always managed to make them comfortable enough to open up to her. It was one of her many gifts.

"Of course, he should be awake by now." Emma answered, and then motioned to the door.

They made their way single file towards Killian's room, and then Snow knocked softly.

"Killian? It's Mary—Snow. I just came by to see-" but she was cut off by the door opening. Killian emerged fully dressed in a his leather jacket, boots and hook.

"Hey Snow, hey guys." he said with a smile that was too bright and fake.

"Hi Killian, we were just checking on you-"

"That's so sweet. But I'm fine." He said, and then took a step towards the door.

"Hook—Killian. I would like to talk to you for a minute. Would you like to sit down?" Snow asked, pointing to the sofas by the window.

In the sunlight, Emma could see the bruises more clearly than last night. There were a few butterfly bandages on his forehead from where the doctor had patched him up, but the biggest bruise was the one on his cheek, the one Emma had thought was nothing but a splotch of mudd. Now it was so dark it looked almost like a tattoo, and was very inflamed.

"Okay, sure." Killian answered, but he remained where he was. Emma saw a small tremor in his good hand before he balled it into a fist. She looked from David to Snow, and hoped she was not the only one who was noticing how brittle Killian was acting.

"Are you sure you're alright? Emma told me what happened last night. That must of been rough." Snow said, reaching out a hand to her friend, who turned away from from her touch to readjust his hook in the light.

"I told you, I'm fine." he answered, not meeting any of them in the eye.

Snow took a step closer to Killian, "Are you sure? You look exhausted"

She took another step and reached towards the dark bruise on Killian's face, lightly touching it with his fingers "Did the Doctor-" but before she could finish Killian flinched away his head away, taking a few steps back until he ran into the wall.

"Hook?" Snow asked, Killian flinched again and took another step back and Emma saw fear flash through his eyes.

"Wha-"

"Please...don't" Killian interrupted in an almost inaudible whisper and Snow dropped her hand. Killian shuddered slightly, and wrapped his good arm around his chest.

Snow sighed, and then backed away, "Alright, it's alright Killian."

Killian straightened up, "I'm—I'm sorry, I just-I-I-" he stuttered

"It's okay Killian, we understand." Emma answered, trying to be soothing, "You are safe now, no one is going to hurt you. Your going to be fine."

Killian's head shot up, and Emma caught of glimpse of the old Hook glaring at her, "I am FINE!" he said angrily

"Hook, we know you're fine, we just want to understand what happened to-"

"NOTHING happened to me. I am fine. Look!-" and Killian walked towards Emma and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders.

"See, I'm fine. Bloody Fine!" he shook Emma to conceal the trembling in his arm.

"Nothing is wrong with me."

"We never said anything was wrong, we're just worr-"

Killian shoved Emma away from him, and took a few steps backs "Don't be." he stated flatly, and then turned around towards the guest room. Not quite slamming the door behind him.

An unhinged silence seemed to creep through the room. Emmaremained where she was, staring at the door her friend had just slammed. _What the hell was going on?!_

She looked at Snow, who remained frozen where she stood, arm still outstretched.

"Should we—" Snow started.

"I don't know. I don't think he'll go even if we do."

"What do you think-?"

"I _don't know, _Snow."

Mary Margaret sighed, rapping her hands on the edge of the sofa. "He wouldn't let me...go near him, like he was almost _scared _of me. What-"

She shook her head. The quiet, almost brittle way Killian had reacted to Snow's touch was enough to cause real concern.

"He said nothing happened."

"Do you really believe that?" Snow asked, and Emma shook her head.

"No, not a bit."

"Then what should we do?"

"Believe it." David answered softly. Emma turned to look at her father as reemerged into the living room, with baby Neal in his arms.

"What do you mean?"

" He obviously doesn't want to talk about it. Why force him to? I think we should give him some space." David told them.

"We were there last night with him, we _know _something happened. But if he's not ready to talk about it, then we have to respect that. He—"

"So we just pretend like nothing ever happened?" Snow interrupted.

David nodded, "Yes."

Emma rolled his eyes, "This is crazy. _Something _happened and whatever it was, it needs to be -we can't fall apart, now, not after everything we've been through." the last part was a whisper. Mary Margaret stared at her, "Should we go-" she started but David cut her off with a shake of his head, "No, we all need some space. Let's go down to the station, see what Mr. Gold and Belle are up to. He'll come to us when he's ready."

Emma nodded,and slowly started walking towards the door, half hoping that Killian would emerge and shout "wait! I'm ready to tell you now!" but all there was, was silence.

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Sorry this one was a little short. I'll have more soon, I promise. Please read, and review and tell me what you like/dislike or what you would like to happen next. Thank you all for the reviews so far, they have been lovely!


	4. Chapter 4

Trigger warning: this chapter covers some sensitive topics, so please read with care.

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Emma picked at her sesame seed bagel. She looked over the table to Snow, who was staring at her cup of coffee. They had been in this meeting for an hour and a half. David and Mr. Gold were going over all of the security footage, trying to find something, _anything _that could help them identify the attacker and fretting about Killian.

"Are you sure he didn't say anything?" Mr. Gold asked David for the millionth time. David nodded, "Yes. I am sure, he didn't say a word last night."

"And this morning?"

"He told us nothing happened, that he was fine. But he's not. I could tell." David answered.

"We can't have that. We can't have a bomb thats going to go off any second. What if he hurts himself? Or one of us? And He wouldn't let you touch him?"

"Give him some time, Gold. If he was attacked, he'll need a few days to come to terms with it." Emma said.

"But we don't have with the Wicked Witch gone, we still have a lot of damage control to do. We've already wasted a good part of today." David relented.

Emma nodded. There were still the missing dwarves, and she knew she had to fix whatever was going on with her and Regina. Since Marion returned, Robin Hood hadn't looked twice at her.

"Then we start fixing things." Dr. Hopper chimed in, and they all looked at him, Emma had forgotten he was there. Dr. Hopper sighed, then continued;

"We do what we always do, but we remain respectful of Killian's space. We do what makes him comfortable and no more. We can make this work."

"How?"

"We know that touching him is a trigger, and so is asking him what happened. We all know Killian is sensitive about certain topics, we'll just add this to the list." Dr. Hopper stated, and they all knew it was true. They all knew Killian's hard past."The ever growing list." David mumbled under his breath, "Anyway, we'll treat today like it was any other day. Forget that it happened, never talk about it again. Saying that, I would like us to form into two groups. One will continue looking for signs of Killian's attacker, the other will go out into the woods and see if the Merry Men saw anything last night. _All _of us." he said, looking from Emma, to Snow, to David and then to Dr. Hopper.

Emma nodded,"I'll get him?" She asked.

"Remember, nothing happened." David reminded her Emma nodded, and then stood up and walked towards the exit.

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When she arrived at Killian's door, She knocked, "Killian? Hey Killian? It's Emma. David would like us all to meet at the station to start damage control on the town. Would you like to walk down with me?" After a few moments, the door opened, and Killian emerged,

"Hey Love, sure, I'm always ready to get to work!" he said, in the same too bright toned voice he used earlier, before Snow had tried to touch him. He shouldered his way past Emma and limped down the hallway.

"I'd like to see Storeybrooke functioning like a real town, finally. You know, after Cora, and the Wicked Witch and all, it'll be nice to live normally for just a while." he said as he twisted his hook with his good hand, a subtle sense of disharmony settling over his efforts to appear normal. Despite the normality of the scene, the bruise on his face was a harsh reminder that all was not well. Emma tried not to notice how, even though Killian was talking again, his hand shook slightly as he fidgeted with his hook. One thing that Emma had learned over the years was that Killian was very good at hiding his emotions. He never let anything get to him, and he was doing it now, talking a mile per minute about everything and anything as they walked towards the station, and not looking her in the eye. The brittle disharmony that he had displayed earlier when Snow had tried to touch him was still there, and that worried Emma more than anything else.

"So," Killian's boots clicked as into the station where they were all waiting for them.

"Now that I'm here, lets get down to business, what are going to fix first? We should really get out there soon though, I would like to make sure that portal is actually closed before anything else gets through."

David exchanged a look with Emma, they had already planned everything out; she was going to stay here with Killian and watch him, and maybe coax out just what happened while David took the second group out to talk to the Merry Men.

"Good Morning. Please sit, we have to talk. Let me tell you our plans for today. " David said, Hook nodded, keeping his face determinedly calm as he sat down on the edge of a desk, "First, we have decided that you are going to stay here with Emma and continue looking through the security footage."

Killian paused for a moment, then nodded, "Thats a great idea! Well planned out, just as always" he answered in a too bright toned voice

" Second, Dr. Hopper and I are going to go talk with the Merry Men. And lastly, Snow is going to go with Belle and Mr. Gold to see if they can do any research on that open portal and you can stay here. Take it easy, rest a bit, and help Emma with the station files." David said, and he did not add _since you are obviously not well enough to be walking around outside._

Killian nodded, and Emma tensed, hoping that Killian would agree, that he would not shake and stutter like he had done before, but Killian just smiled and said "Seems fair enough."

When they had finished with the meeting, David stood up. "Well, might as well get started before it gets too hot. Rumple-sorry, Mr. Gold, Snow and Belle go to the shop, see what you can find, Emma, you know what to do. And Killian, we'll see you in a bit." he stated, and then motioned for Dr. Hopper to follow him out the door.

Belle and Mr. Gold whispered quietly to each other in the corner while Snow fussed over baby Neal. "I'm going to drop him off at Granny's, before we start." she said.

She turned to Emma and Hook "You will be okay here for a little while?" she asked, mainly to Killian. He nodded, "I will be just fi-alright. I'll be alright. Just go, enjoy the sun. And good luck with finding things."

Snow's face suddenly brightened, and she reached into his pocket, "Oh, by the way, Killian I have your —uhh… necklace. I found it this morning in the gutter, I'd thought you'd want it back." she pulled the necklace and held it for Killian to see. Killian smiled, and stood up to get it, "Thanks, I was wondering where that went.", as he reached across the table with his good hand, his sleeve pulled up over his wrist revealing what looked like dark bruising and….blood?

"What's that?" Emma asked immediately, reaching for the wrist.

Killian flinched again and, pulled his arm out of Emma's grasp, "It's nothing." he stated, and stepped backwards, away from her.

"No, let me see Killian, please?" Emma asked, stepping next to him and reaching for the wrist again. This time the flinch was followed by a rough shove.

"Get the hell away from me. What are you doing?"

"_Killian. _Stop, just let me-"

"NO!"

Emma managed to block this swing, forcing Killian to take another step backwards, right into Mr. Gold who grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arms around his chest. Killian gasped and struggled wildly against the older man.

"Gold! _Gold_ let him go!" Emma shouted, she tried to get closer but Killian swung a leg towards her and she jumped back. Killian managed to wiggle free of Gold's grasp but as he made a mad dash towards the door, he tripped over a step and went crashing down.

Emma turned to Belle and Gold, who were watching, both with a look of pity in their eyes,

"Go."

"What?"

"Go and start your research. Mary Margaret will join you later." Emma said

"But.."

"We'll be fine. Just go."

Silently filed out. Gold hesitated for a moment over Killian, who was still laying on the floor, but then shook his head and stepped away.

Emma waited until the station door closed before she knelt next to her friend.

"Hook?" Emma asked.

Killian sat up slowly, and pulled his legs into his chest groaning softly and rubbing where his shoulder had hit the ground with his good hand. He saw Emma, then struggled backwards, trying to get back up on his feet but Emma took a firm hold of her friend's shoulders. Killian tried to jerk away but Emma held on, not wanting to let her friend go. They had to know what happened. "Killian, it's okay, Killian. It's just me. It's Emma, please, everything is going to be okay." Emma pleaded, and finally after several moments, Killian stilled. He kept his head bowed as he fought for control over his breath, and didn't meet anyones eye as Emma slowly relaxed her grip on Killian's shoulders, and she heard Snow come up behind him.

"Hook?" she asked, but Killian ignored her as he shuddered and gasped, trying to regain control as panic took over.

"Killian? It's alright. You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you. It's just us." Emma said softly, hoping that he would meet her eyes but Killian kept his gaze on the floor. His breath hitched again and he hugged his good hand to his chest, the one Emma had tried to grab before he fled from the table.

Emma waited a few moments, until Killian's breathing relaxed some, and then she asked "Hook? Killian? Are you with us?", Killian paused and finally looked up at her. He nodded silently, and then moved away out of Emma's grasp.

"Let us see, please." Snow asked gently, and when he didn't move, Emma reached towards the arm and he allowed her to turn it over and look at the wrist. It was only when she tried to lift up the black fabric of the shirt, to see what was underneath did Killian react. He hissed softly and tried to pull his arm away, but Emma held on.

"Its alright. We're not going to hurt you" Emma said, and he felt Killian's arm tremble as he pushed the sleeve over his forearm. She tried to contain her gasp, as she saw what she had seen at the table: hand shape bruises, rope burns and dark patches of dried blood from deep diagonal cuts that went up and down his forearm. She heard Snow gasp, then stand up to call the doctor on the station phone.

"Hook...Killian why didn't you say anything?" Emma asked quietly, Killian kept his head low, not looking her in the eye. "It's nothing." he whispered to his knees.

"No, this is not nothing. You have to tell me, what did they do to you? Just this?" Emma asked, Killian nodded

"They wouldn't stop. They won't. I can't make them." He mumbled. Emma frowned. This was the second time Killian had said that and she still had no idea what it meant.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, but Killian just shook his head. The brittle disharmony was returning, and Emma didn't know how to stop it.

"Did they do anything else? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Emma asked, and Killian shook his head.

"Maybe we should take him to the hospital?" Snow suggested. Killian's eyes flew up in panic, "No! No. I'm fine" Killian said, pulling his arm away out of Emma grasp and shakily getting to his feet.

"I'll be fine. Please don't, I don't want to go there. I just want to work, please. I'll be good, I promise. I'm fine." He said, looking down between Emma and Snow, eyes pleading. Emma stood up and motioned at the chair.

"Please, sit down. Dr. Whale will be here soon to patch that up, then we can get to work."

Killian hesitated, but then sat with a quiet sigh and a mumbled, "I'm fine" he held his hurt arm to his chest, and refused to meet Emma;s waited silently until Dr. Whale knocked on the door. Snow rose to let him in.

"Dr. Whale is here, let him fix your arm," Emma said quietly

The room remained quiet, the only sound was Killian's harsh breathing as he sat still and silent while the doctor tended to his arm. Emma and Snow exchanged glances, what were they going to do now? It was obvious that Killian was lying when he said he was fine.

"I have to get going, Emma. Gold and Belle are waiting for me." Snow said, a bitter reminder that all was still not well in Storeybrooke.

"I can stay here, go." Emma said

Snow nodded and gathered up Neal in his stroller.

"Good luck, I'll see you tonight back at our place." She said softly to Emma, and then started rolling out the door, closing it softly behind her.

"All done." Dr. Whale announced, closing the first aid kit and looking up at Emma. Killian muttered "Thanks" and pulled his sleeves back over his arm with his hook, hiding the white bandages from sight. Dr. Whale touched Killian's knee lightly, and his brow furrowed with concern as Killian twitched away from his touch. He stood and motioned for Emma to follow him into the private office.

" Do you know his immediate family? Someone we could contact? It would be better if we could admit him to the hospital, but if he's unwilling to go, we can't." he said softly once they were out of hearing range. "Those cuts on his wrist weren't there when I examined him this morning." he said in a grave whisper, looking up at Emma.

Emma's brow furrowed, "You said there were cuts, that someone had put them there to cause distress—"

"Yes, but those were on his chest. Not his forearm. And they were partially healed, at least a few days old. These cuts are new." he said

"Oh—"

"Does he have any family?"

"He's a 300 year old pirate, he doesn't have any family. Just us." Emma answered.

Dr. Whale nodded, "Alright. In the meanwhile, someone should watch him. I can't do anything without his consent first, or I would sit with him. Listen, it has to be his decision to go to the hospital. Nobody can force him. All you can do is wait, and hope for the best. Has he told you anything yet?" he asked.

Emma shook her head, "Nothing. Atleast he's talking again though."

"Yes. Well, I should go update my report. You have my number if anything else happens, right?" he said. Emma nodded again. She touched his arm slightly in a silent _thank you _, then opened the office door to where Killian was sitting silently. She waited until Dr. Whale left, then she sat down in a chair next to Hook.

"Killian..." Emma started, and she waiting until Killian was looking in her direction before she continued.

"Killian, look at me." she asked, hoping, praying that Killian would finally look her in the eye. Their eyes met for a second and then her looked away, staring into his knees and Emma knew it was pointless to ask what happened.

"Do you want me to take you back to the Charming's" she asked.

Killian shook his head, "I'm fine." he repeated in a small whisper.

Emma nodded, "Okay." she said, feeling slightly lost on what to do now.

They sat in silence for a few monents, each not looking at each other. Emma had an inkling as to what those cuts on his arm meant, but she hoped she was wrong. Finally, after what seemed like hours, instead of a few minutes, she turned to the computer and turned it on.

" Let's start in on those security files, shall we." she said, turning towards Killian, who was picking at a thread on his jacket with his good hand, staring intently at his knees.

"Yeah." he replied after a moment, "Sounds like a plan."

"I hope we find something, I would like to wrap up the case of the missing dwarves by the end of today."

"Yeah."

Then silence. Killian shivered and pulled his arms in tighter and Emma watched helplessly as he tried to pull himself away from what she could only assume were memories of what happened.

"Killian?" she asked

Killian's head jerked up, and he clutched his hook with his good hand.

"Sorry." he mumbled, and he put his hand up to his face. Emma was startled to see that her friend was battling for composure. Killian had always been the strong one, never wearing his emotions on his sleeves, or voicing his own troubles. He had always been there for Emma, always with an answer and a solution.

"No, it's alright." then Emma sat up straighter,she suddenly had an idea. Maybe if Hook had some busywork to do, it would help clear his mind of whatever was troubling him.

"Come on,I can set you up in the office with the caller transcripts. You can go through and see if any of the missing dwarves called." she suggested. Killian nodded, the pushed himself up to standing.

"Good they were in trouble, this would be the first place they would call. " he said, almost normally and then he strode over the office without waiting for Emma.

Emma got up stiffly and followed him, very aware of the sudden change of behavior, and very aware that her friend was still limping. She followed Killian to the office, and laughed as she watched him fumble over the telephone.

"Have you ever done this before?" she asked lightly

"What? Oh, no. It probably has to do with the fact that I'm a pirate." Killian replied with a smirk.

"Yeah. I can see that. The transcripts are actually over here." She said, and pointed to the machine that printed them.

"All you have to do is read them" Emma said, bringing them over to Killian, but making sure she kept some distance between them, now knowing that her friend didn't like being in close contact with anyone. If Killian noticed it, he didn't say anything. They looked at the papers for a moment, and then Emma turned on the desk lamp so they could see better.

"Electricity. it never ceases to amaze me." Hook muttered, staring at the light.

Emma watched Killian, the sudden light highlighted his face, making the bruise appear deeper and darker than it was. Killian moved slightly, and his shirt shifted revealing his neck and part of his collarbone, and several dark oval shaped bruises, nearly as dark as the one on his face.

Emma took a deep breathe, and then asked, "How did you get those bruises. They look painful." Killian froze for a few moments, then he shrugged and shook his head.

"Not sure, probably during the night, I don't remember."

_He's lying._

"Are you sure? What about the one of your cheek, did you fall?"

Killian paused again, like he was battling internally about whether he should say anything or not. then he gave the slightest of nods.

Emma leaned over the coffee table and put one hand on his arm, the one with the hook, only as a gesture of reassurance. "You know you can tell me, right? I swear I won't let anybody else know." Killian moved his arm out of Emma's grip.

"I know, Em. It's just-" he sighed and closed his eyes, squeezing them tight.

He took a deep breath, than said "Im fine. Just a little spooked. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, I-" he broke off with a wince but it only lasted a few seconds before he gave a small smile, "You always hear about it, I guess-I didn't expect it ever to be me."

"I am so sorry, Killian."

"I just-man I've messed up. I'm sorry this happened, and you all got dragged into it. I've already ruined everything. If you want me to leave, I'll just go—" Killian asked

" Ruined? Leave? Killian, no! No one thinks you've ruined anything, we all care about going to be fine." Emma tried to reassure hers friend, but she could tell it hadn't worked. Killian still looked worried.

"You're going to be fine. I promise." Emma repeated, touching the spot next to Killian's hand and smiling at her friend. Killian flinched his hand away, then mumbled "sorry" softly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. It's okay." Emma said, "But, it might be helpful to me, to all of us, actually if you told us what happened." she added, looking hopefully up at his friend.

Killian paused for a moment, then let out a deep breath.

"Okay. Okay, I'll-I'll try to tell you but you have to swear that you wont tell anybody. Nobody can know." he said

Emma nodded, "I promise."

"No one can know."

"No one can know." Emma confirmed

"Alright." Killian took a shaky breathe, "Well, I-I- was walking back up from the-the-thing-the dock-. It was kinda dark out, I was so stupid to think it was finally safe to walk back on my own-" he started, and then winced and stopped.

"This is too hard. I can't, I can't tell you-" he said, his hand went up to his hair.

"Yes you can. Killian? Listen to me. You can do this. It'll all get better once you tell me, I promise." Ed said

"Okay. Okay, okay okay." Killian sat up straighter in the chair.

"I was attacked. It came out of no where, there were three of them. Men. But they-they didn't want my money, or—or anything. They wanted-wanted _me. _They pulled me out of the street, into an alleyway and started ripping-I tried to stop them. I didn't want it, I kept telling them no. But they wouldn't stop. _I couldn't make them stop—-" _

Killian broke off again with a wince, and Emma saw that his hand was shaking, and suddenly she _knew _exactly what happened to Killian. It all made sense now, why he wouldn't let any of them touch him, why he was so ashamed of what happened. But she also knew he was lying. There was more to this tale than he was telling.

"Oh. Killian. I am so sorry." was all Emma could say. What else was he hiding? His story still didn't explain the rope burns on his arm, nor the dark bruise on his cheek. She remembered back to what Dr. Whale had said, _This wasn't a just random act of violence, this was an act of hate. Whomever did this was skilled in the means of torture. He has bruises, and cuts that were put there purposefully to cause pain and distress. Whomever did this wanted information from him._

Something else had happened, and Emma was determined to figure out what happened to her friend. But right now, she realized, she just had to be there for him for support.

"Your going to get through this, I promise. No one has to know, just me." Emma said. Killian nodded, then looked up at her.

"How can I? I can't make it stop. Look at me, I'm shaking, just from remembering it. It won't stop. How can I do anything when I'm like this?" he said, eyes welling with tears.

"This is a normal reaction, I promise. Believe me, I know what it feels like. It will pass." She told him, trying to be reassuring.

"You think so?" Killian asked, looking up at her.

"I know so.. And don't you dare run away. We're going to work through this, together."

Killian nodded, and then smiled a little bit. "Thank you, for listening. And for understanding."

"Of course. We watch out for each other in this town. It's the only way we can survive." Emma answered, and reached her hand out to pat Killian on the arm, only to stop when she saw Killian flinch.

"Sorry. I'm sorry— no touching, I forgot." she said, putting her hand down.

"It's alright. I'm sorry, I don't know why it's so hard to stop. I'll get over it."

"Take your time, no one is rushing you." Emma said, "If it's alright with you, we can tell the others that you prefer not to be touched-without going into details, of course-, it might make it easier on all of us if we knew about it."

Killian thought for a moment, and then finally nodded. " I guess so. But they can't know. They cant know that I, I grown man, was attacked-and helpless against _them." _Killian said, a brittle tinge lacing his words.

"It's okay. It's okay, they wont know. I promise. Nobody will know, or find out. It will stay between you and me, I promise." Emma confirmed with a sad smile. Then she pointed back to the transcripts.

"Let me show you how these work."

And then their work begun.

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Please read and review!

Thank you all for the lovely reviews so far, I'm so excited to read that you all are excited about what's going to happen next! :-) Keep the reviews coming and I promise I will update as quickly as I can!


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter. It made me sad :( Was it too long? Maybe I should rewrite it?

Anyway, here's the next part!

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Somehow they managed to get through the day. Everyone was gone for most of it, apparently they had tracked the missing dwarves near border, and were driving down to pick them up. David gave Emma exclusive orders to stay the station, and not let anybody in or out until they got back. Despite Emma's best efforts to get Killian to tell her what truly happened, Killian remained as quiet as ever so she eventually stopped bringing it up. Emma realized that as long as no one touched him, Killian was- for the most part-the same as always.

It was about 3:30 when the phone rang, making them both jump. Emma picked it up and stood, pacing the floor.

"Mary Margaret, please tell me you have good news."

"I think we know what happened, something _did _come through the portal, and Gold has tracked it to the abandoned mind shafts. We tried to get in, but they put up a powerful shield."

"Do you know who it is? Was it involved with what happened last night" Emma asked, trying remain discrete, for Killian.

"We don't know, we're going to head back to Gold's shop and keep doing research. Probably take us a couple hours. How's Killian?"

Emma looked up at her friend, who was still going over the transcripts in the office.

"He's fine, he- hold on." Emma said, and then quickly walked into the hallway, out of hearing range.

"He's a little freaked out. I don't know what they did to him, but he has bruises all over-and he won;t let me near him. We gotta bring him to-I don't know- somewhere he can feel safe, where he can get some help."

"He will be fine. I promise." Mary Margarat said, trying to be comforting.

"Will he?" Emma whispered

"Yes. Now, we will be there in a few hours We can have dinner atGranny's, sound good?" Mary Margarat asked.

Emma sighed, "Sou-what if you find something?"

"I will call you the minute we find anything. I promise"

"Good. See you soon! And Mary Margarat? You did good."

"Thanks Emma, bye."

Emma walked out of the room and back towards Killian, who was still reading on the desk.

"That was Mary Margarat, they found something by the old mines." Emma said

Emma saw panic flash through his face before he hid it with a smile, "That's great! Once we know who it is, we can tell them to get the hell out of here."

He shifted and winced slightly, but then the moment passed and he looked up to Emma.

"Did they see anyone?" he asked

Emma shook her head, "No, she said they had a powerful shield up."

Emma sat down, "They're driving back now to the shop, then we're gonna all meet for dinner. Sound good?"

Killian nodded, "Sure."

"Killian-"

"For the last time, Emma. I am fine-"

"I know you're fine, I was just going to say that it might help if you tell me what happened-"

"I already told you what happened. I'll get over it and be fine. I'm a pirate, thats what we do. We forget. I will be fine."

Killian then smiled a little, "Really, I am okay."

"Okay, but the offer still stands, if you need anything-"

"I'll let you know. I know, I know Emma. Stop worrying so much!"

He went back to looking at the transcripts, flipping the pages to conceal the shaking in his hand. Emma furrowed her brow and watched her friend reading, like everything was normal. But it _wasn't. _None of this was, Killian was usually so open about everything, to the point where he told her things she _didn't _want to know. But this, whatever it was, Emma needed to understand because Killian was acting different, like something had scared him. But why would they do that? According to his tale, he had just been beaten up. Surely he had many experiences with that, being a pirate and all. What made this time so different? What had scared him? Emma knew he was lying when he told he that story and she had a definite feeling that whatever Snow and Gold had found had something to do with it. Who could have come through the portal with them? Obviously someone dangerous, well skilled in the means of torture. What did they want with Hook? She needed to find out, she needed Killian to tell her the truth. How could she make him trust her when Killian wouldn't even look him in the eye? Emma sighed suddenly frustrated, why wasn't Killian telling the truth?

"No." she said

Killian looked up from the papers.

"No what?" he asked

"No, you're not okay. And you just didn't get beat up, did you?" Emma asked, but immediately regretted it when she saw the panic flash through Killian's face.

"What do you mean? I said I was fine." Killian answered, putting the paper down and sitting up straight.

"But you're not, you're not fine, Killian. You have bruises everywhere, and those cuts. Who did that to you? Did you?" Emma asked

"What? Did I? No Emma! Why would I do that?"

"I dont know, maybe because someone _tortured _you?"

"Tortured? What are we, back in the Enchanted Forest or something?" Killian asked

"But _someone_ did do that to you, didn't they?" Emma continued, motioning to the bruise, and then to the bandages.

Killian sighed and then held up his hand, " Alright, alright. If you must know, It-it wasn't just a mugging. Two days ago I was dragged off through my window—-I don't know who it was though. Some fella named Ruber—anyway some of his I-dont-know- _people _thought it would be fun to take a couple swings at me, but he made them stop. After he saw what they did. _Nothing_ else happened." he finished, looking down at his knees. Emma sighed, she was still getting the feeling that Killian wasn't telling him something but he felt like he shouldn't pry any more.

"This Ruber guy, is he the one hiding out in the mines?" Emma asked

Killian nodded, and Emma did not miss the shudder.

"Okay, that's all I needed to know, Killian. I was worried. You haven't been-"

"Haven't been what?" Killian cut in, he shifted again on the couch and Emma saw him wince.

"Y-you. You've just seemed a little off ever since-"

"Well, I'm fine. Im going to be fine. Can you just drop it?" Killian asked

Emma sighed, this was going no where. "Fine, you're right. You're fine. I'm going to go look through Henry's book and see if he's in there, if you need any-"

"I'll let you know. I know. Stop worrying about every little thing." Killian cut in, annoyed.

"Right. "

And Emma left towards the hallway, leaving Killian by himself in the office. She needed to find out who this Ruber guy was, and exactly why he had abducted her friend.

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Thank you for reading!

Please review and let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

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Regina had been avoiding her like the plague ever since Emma had brought marion back from the past, so Emma was a little nervous about going to the Mayor's house. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Regina was still giving her the silent treatment so going up to Henry's room and getting the book was surprisingly easy. Emma had half expected to be plummeted by fireballs. Regina hadn't done anything at all, actually. She had just sat by the window and stared at her apple tree with a sad expression in her eyes.

But Emma didn't have time to worry about the lovesick queen.

She also decided to give Killian some space, he probably needed it after what he had gone through. She went to the park instead, and began her research.

At first she didn't find much. Ruber wasn't a character from the Enchanted Forest, but then she found a story about a young girl named Kaylee who used a magic bean to transport herself into the world of Camelot in order to find her parents.

Ruber was definitely a villain in that world.

She began to read;

_Ruber was once a trusted knight of __King Arthur__ and a member of the Knights of the Round Table. However, following the ten-year rule of peace and justice in Camelot, Ruber grew obsessive with power. During a meeting, he attempted to take advantage of his rank by desiring riches, to which Arthur refused to allow. Ruber then took up a stand by nominating himself for the throne of __Camelot__. One of Arthur's loyal Knights, Sir Lionel (who also happened to be Kaylee's father), berated him for it, swearing that no one will serve a false king. This drove Ruber into a murderous rage, wanting to kill Arthur with a mace, but the brave Lionel defended the king at the cost of his life, right before Ruber turn to attack Arthur. However, using __Excalibur__, Arthur beat Ruber back. Ruber then fled away from Camelot in exile, vowing revenge that one day he will claim Excalibur and all of Camelot to himself._

_Following his ten years in exile, Ruber has gathered a swarm of barbaric followers to support his cause to take over Camelot. As the tenth year passed by, Ruber formulated a plan involving to steal Excalibur and use land carriages to infiltrate into Camelot to exact his revenge._

_It was then that Kaylee learned that Merlin had sent her to the enchanted forest to protect her from Ruber. She is reunited with her mother, and they celebrate in their home. But the celebrations are interrupted by Ruber's army._

_He attacks the house of Lionel's widow Lady Juliana to take hold of her land wagons, and forces her to tag along with his plan by threatening to kill Kaylee. Ruber also has his pet griffin steal Excalibur from Camelot, although the theft is bungled and the sword is dropped into the Forbidden Forest, thanks to the intervention of Ayden, the pet silver-winged falcon of the legendary wizard Merlin. During the ransacking of Lady Juliana's home, Ruber used a potion he bought from some witches to transform his followers into an __army__ of "iron men with hands of steel" and prepared to ride to Camelot. However, upon learning of the Excalibur's current location from the Griffin and seeing the Kaylee escaping into the Forbidden Forest to search for it, Ruber ordered the Griffin and several of his men to follow her. During much of the story Ruber and his posse chase, Kaylee, Ayden, a blind hermit named Garrett, and a two-headed dragon named Devon and Cornwall._

_After Kaylee finally found Excalibur, and rescued it from a rock giant, Ruber and his men capture her and take the sword. Taking the opportunity, Ruber claims Excalibur for himself by using his potion to fuse it to his wrist, replacing his right arm. Delighted, Ruber continued on with his plan, gaining entrance to Camelot and attacking Arthur once more while the Griffin and the rest of Ruber's men ward off the rest of the loyal knights. Fortunately, Garrett, Ayden, Devon, and Cornwall arrive to the rescue; while Ayden, Devon, and Cornwall deal with the Griffin, Garrett leads Kaylee to an underground tunnel leading to the Round Table, where Ruber is attacking Arthur before declaring himself to be the new king. _

_During the fight, Kaylee overheard Ruber telling Arthur about the death of her father. Swearing that she will not serve a false king, Kaylee slams a wooden beam into Ruber, launching him out of the window. Garett attempts to strike Ruber from behind with his staff, but Ruber blocks the attack and throws Garett next to Kaylee. However, he is unaware that both Garrett and Kayley are next to the stone where Arthur once wield Excalibur from it before becoming King. Ruber closes in for the kill, but when he is about to strike, the two lovers move aside and Ruber accidentally plunges Excalibur back into the stone. The power of the stone sucks Ruber inside of it, forever trapping him inside the stone. As a result the potion spell is broken and Ruber's soldiers revert to their ordinary human selves, allowing the Camelot knights to arrest them and reclaim their kingdom. At the same time, Ruber is trapped by energies between the stone and the potion never to see the light of day again._

Emma looked up from her reading. That room that she and Killian had been in before they were transported out had all sorts of relics inside of it, ones that even Rumplestilkin was afraid to use. The stone containing Ruber must have been in that room too, and somehow he must have been awoken.

But what was he doing in Storeybrooke, and what did he want with Hook? The doctor had said that he had been tortured, probably for information which meant that this Ruber guy was looking for something, or someone. She presumed it was something bad, because otherwise Hook would have just told him. She knew the pirate well enough to know that Hook would never give up the opportunity to obtain treasure. And the only reason that he wouldn't give out information was if Ruber was after something Hook loved.

But then, Hook didn't love anything. Just his rum, and his ship.

_No_.

He loved _her_, he always had. And even if Emma didn't act upon it, she knew that he cared deeply for her. This caused even greater concern though, because if Hook sacrificed himself in order to prevent this Ruber person from obtaining information about Emma, then she was in definite danger.

Emma stood up. She had to get to Gold, and tell her what she found before Ruber found her.

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What's Once Upon A Time without a little storytelling? I needed a villain that didn't spoil the ending to season 3, so I picked Ruber from Quest for Camelot. He's definitely evil enough.

I'm working on the next part right now. It should be up later today, or tomorrow at the latest.

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

***Once again; I put the warnings in the summary for a reason. This story does deal with triggering material, so please read with care. If you know this subject matter will make you upset, then please don't read it and definitely don't complain about it in a review. You know yourself more than I do so please protect yourself.

Writing this story actually means quite a lot to me as the subject matter hits closer to home than I would like it. I would also like to say that in no way am I supporting sexual assault as a mere plot device or kink meme. It is used too often just as plot device in general and it's maddening when that's ALL it is.

So that's not what I'm doing.

I'm focusing on the aftermath, and healing. But before I write about that I have to set up the setting.

So once again; PLEASE read with care.***

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After visiting Gold and Belle, Emma spent the time pacing the hallway of the station worrying about this Ruber charater, and Killian's deteriorating state of mind. What had happened to him? He was definitely not okay, but he kept saying nothing was wrong, that nothing happened. How were they going to fix this? What if it got worse? She didn't know if she could survive if he left. She felt a pang in her heart for Neal, she couldn't handle someone else she loved leaving. She put her hand on the door, what would she find inside? Had she left him there too long?

She looked at her watch, it was nearly 6. Mary Margarat and David should be back soon. She quickly readjusted her bag with the book inside of it, and then opened the door. Henry was spending the night with Belle and Mr. Gold. She didn't want him to see Hook like this, not until she knew that he was going to get better. When she opened the door, she saw that Hook was asleep on one of the open cell beds, curled into an almost fetal position and snoring softly. Emma felt her heart pang, and she wondered how much sleep he actually had gotten last night. She walked softly over to the office, stepping quietly so he wouldnt wake her friend. He needed the rest, she could tell. As she was looking over the transcripts Killian had neatly organized into piles, her phone rang. Emma winced at the loud noise, hoping it wouldn't wake him, but it didn't. Still, Emma closed the door to the office before she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Emma, it's Mary Margarat. We just finished up here and are heading to Granny's."

"Sounds good, do you need help? Did you find anything?" Emma said

"No, we're good here. What about you?"

"I'll tell you at dinner, Gold thinks something came through the portal."

"Everything going okay up there? How's Killian?"

Emma sighed, "Killian, Killian is fine. I think he will be, you know how quick he bounces back."

"That's good. So, we will meet you there?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

And Emma hung up, and walked back into main station room. She wondered if she should even wake Killian up, but then she remembered that he hadn't eaten anything all day. Dinner would do him some good.

"Killian?" Emma asked, gently touching her friend's shoulder.

"Killian?"

Killian woke with a jump, and sat up, shrugging away Emma's hand.

"Hmmm wha?" he asked, still sleepy.

"Mary Margarat and David are 're going to meet them at Granny's for dinner." Emma told him, and Killian nodded.

" Dinner?" he asked

"Yup, at Granny's."

Killian hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, "Alright."

He stood up slowly, and Emma motioned for him to walk first towards the door. Killian pulled his sleeves down further to cover the bandages, then put his leather jacket on, and straightened the collar with his good hand. His eyes laid on the necklace that Snow had given back to him, still sitting on the desk. He made a motion to grab it, but stopped mid motion and walked towards Emma. With the jacket on, he looked almost normal. Killian noticed Emma's stare, he shrugged his shoulder;

"What?" he asked

"Nothing, nothing. Let's go." Emma answered.

The walk down to Granny's was silent, neither of them speaking, or looking at eachother.. When they got to the restaurant, it was busy and crowded with early diners. Hook stopped short, so quickly that Emma nearly ran into him.

"Killian?" she asked

He shook his head slightly, and dug his hand deeper into his pocket.

"A-actually, I'm not that hungry, I can just go back to the Charming's." Killian said quickly, turning around.

"No, wait. _Killian!" _Emma grabbed his arm and stopping him.

"You gotta eat something. Come on, it's not that crowded. And look, there is Mary Margarat and David."

She pointed as she saw them emerge from their parked car, covered in dust and looking exhausted.

Killian jerked his arm out of Emma's grasp and took a couple of steps back.

"There's too many-I don't know." he said softly, and then "I-I need a minute." he turned away from her, and Emma was surprised to see that his eyes were glassy. Emma stepped away from him.

"Alright, I'm going to talk with Mary Margaret. You okay here for a moment?" she asked and Killian nodded. Then Emma walked up towards Mary Margaret and David.

Mary Margaret gave her a tired smile, "Hey Emma, how did today go?"

"It went alright. I found a few things." Emma said, giving a tired smile.

" So did we, but let's wait until we're all together. How'd it go today?" Mary Margaret asked, then she nodded towards Hook.

"Everything okay?"

Emma shrugged, "Fine, I guess. He's fine, he will be fine, he just needs a minute. Come on let's go eat."

Mary Margaret nodded, but the concern didnt leave her face, "Alright. Come on, David." he said, but David was staring at Killian, who was still battling for composure.

"What's wrong with Hook?" he asked, real concern in his voice.

"Nothing, Killian is fine. Let's go." Emma said quickly, knowing that when Killian was ready, he would follow them.

"I'm going to talk to him. I'll meet you inside?" David asked. Emma and Mary Margarat exchanged looks, it wouldnt hurt, would it?

"Sure. Mary Margaret and I will go get us a table."

Emma motioned for Mary Margaret to follow, and they both headed towards the door. It wasn't until they were seated that David came back inside, alone.

"Where is Killian?" Emma asked, concerned that David had let him go off by himself.

"We need to talk." David said seriously. He sat down in the booth and looked at Emma, and then to Mary Margarat.

"What happened, David?" Mary Margarat asked

" Nothing, don't worry. But this won't work." he said

"What won't work, David? Where is Killian?" Emma asked again.

"He took one look at this-" David pointed to the restaurant, crowded with diners, " and nearly ran back to the station."

Emma looked around, it was crowded but that had never bothered her, or anyone else including Killian before.

"Why? Did he say something?" Emma asked, but David shook his head.

"No, I could just tell."

"Then how about we move outside, onto the patio. Will that work?" Mary Margarat asked, David though for a moment, and then nodded.

"Yes. I'll go get him, and we'll meet you out back."

"Are you sure thats-" Emma started to ask, but David had already stood up and started walking towards the door. Emma looked at Mary Margaret, who shrugged.

"Let's go?" she asked, and Emma nodded.

After they had moved outside, Hook and David joined them. Killian was quiet, a sign that meant he was battling with his memories again. These episodes never lasted long, after a few moments Killian would come back, smile and go back to being himself.

It was Snow who brought a sense of normalcy to the group, she had a way of talking that made them all feel comfortable. If anything, it seemed to keep Killian grounded, which was good. Emma sighed,they needed to start talking about Ruber, and what she had found out.

Finally, after the last bite of lasagna was eaten, Emma put her empty glass on the table.

"Alright, now that we have all eaten" well, most of them anyway, Killian had only picked at his plate, barely eating any of the food on it. She knew he should eat more, but didnt want to say anything, It would only bring attention to the fact that Killian was not okay, and Emma didn't want to put him on the spot. He had enough of that today.

"Did you find anything?" Snow asked

Emma nodded, "I think I know who came through the portal with us, his name is Ruber and he is all kinds of bad news." she said, looking back and forth between Snow and David. She didn't fail to notice the shudder from Hook as she said Ruber's name.

"Is he the one in the mines, the one Gold found?" David asked

Emma nodded, "I think so. We need to find out what he wants, and then we need to get him to leave."

"I agree." David said

"So what do we do next?" Snow asked

"Talk to Gold, get that shield around the mines down, and then get this Ruber guy out of Storeybrooke." Emma answered.

They both nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

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More to come soon! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Trigger warning; general distress

Please read with care.

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"I want to go back to the station and pick up some of the transcript documents before I head back. Is it alright if Killian and I crash for one more night?" Emma said, as walked down the road, towards the station.

Snow nodded, " Of course. But what about Henry? We'll come with you, safety in numbers."

"I'll have Belle drop him off at Regina's, she seemed like she needed some company this morning, after what happened with Robin."

"Was she alright?"

"She didn't incinerate me, so I guess she's doing okay."

David laughed, "Good old Regina. I'll be sure to check on her tomorrow."

Snow shrugged, "I'm going to have Nanny and Red look after Neal at least for a little longer, until we figure everything else out."

Emma nodded, and then looked over at Killian who hadn't said a word since Ruber had been brought up. Emma could sense that the subtle sense of disharmony was returning.

She decided to try something

"Hey Killian? Remember when you taught Henry how to sail a sailboat?" Emma asked, deciding to try to see if she could help pull Killian out of whatever was haunting him.

Killian opened his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"We all went out on that _borrowed _sailboat, and Henry almost drove us into the lighthouse" Emma continued, and Killian gave a small smile, "Yeah, that was rather exciting, wasn't it?."

"I remember that. That was our first big family outing. Gold even came, and he didn't try to kill you" David added with a small laugh.

"Hahaha, David. That was a first" Snow laughed softly.

"And Emma almost became shark bait." David added with a smile.

Emma felt her stomach tighten, why did David _always _have to bring that up?

"Hey! What happened to the never-speaking-of-that-again-pact?" Emma asked shortly, annoyed.

David covered his mouth in mock surprise, "Oops, sorry Emma. It's a good thing Killian came to your rescue."

Emma sighed, "I am very grateful that our new pirate friend didn't leave me to the sharks."

Emma laughed, and traded a smile with Snow. She smiled back, but then shook her head, and her eyes went to Killian. Emma followed her gaze and saw that Killian was staring at her, and odd, almost pained expression on his face.

"Killian?" he asked,her voice making him Killian jump, and he looked away Killian gripped the table, and Emma saw that once again he was fighting for control. Emma looked over to Snow with a worried look; these episodes were becoming more frequent, and neither of them really knew what to do. Snow reached out to Killian, but then stopped when Killian flinched away.

"You alright?" he asked

"I'm fine."

David then stood up, "Let's go back to the station and collect those files. Then we can head home and get to bed.

Emma nodded, bed sounded really nice.

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Emma didn't notice anything wrong until she opened the door to the station, and she saw the shadowy figures of people in cloaks then—

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!" A voice shouted and Emma felt both Killian and Snow jump back a few inches as the bright orange of torches blinded her.

The station was crawling with thug like characters, all holding torches and looking threatening. What was going on?

Emma raised her hands and tried to remain calm.

"Alright, alright." she said, trying not to flinch as a large man approached her with a sword.

"Get in here. Now. Come on, move!" he shouted and gripped Emma not so nicely by the scruff of her neck. Emma was thrust into the middle of the room, where four more thugs pointed swords at them.

"Sir Ruber will be pleased. We not only recaptured this scum, but apparently we have also caught the savior." he said with a sneer, pointing to Hook, and then Emma..

"What is going on? Who are you? And how do you know who I am?" Emma asked, keeping her hands up in the air and flinching away from the swords pointed at her neck.

"Didn't he tell you? Before he managed to escape, he told us everything. You are exactly what Sir Ruber is looking for."

Emma turned around to look at Killian who was standing next to Snow and staring at his feet. Did he really rat her out? That didn't sound like him at all.

"We are not going anywhere with you." Emma sneered back.

The thug laughed, "Oh, so you think you actually have a say in this? I think not." he said. Emma rolled her eyes. Who were these people.? They didnt have time for this, but did they really have a choice anymore?

The man motioned with his hands and the other thugs lowered their weapons.

"Come on boys, let's take 'em to the hideout. _All of them._ I'll meet you outside" he said, and started walking towards the door.

One of them shoved Emma forward, holding her arm in a vice like grip. Emma tried not to struggle, knowing it would only make the situation worse. She watched as another thug approached Killian and tensed. What would he do? Killian flinched away from the thugs grasp with a death glare, but the thug just rolled his eyes and gave Killian a shove, whispering something harsh that Emma couldn't hear.

Killian twisted away from the man's grasp and then just seemed to snap.

He turned on the man, kicking and hitting, and if he had been clear-headed he might have managed to overwhelm the thug and escape down the hallway, but the sudden panic had reduced him to a desperate animal.

And Emma knew well enough by now to see panic behind that anger.

It took three of Ruber's men to pin Killian down, one holding his feet and another practically sitting on his chest. The third held Killian's hand and hook together over his head..Emma surged toward her friend, struggling against the man holding her back, and desperately tried to reason with her friend.

" Hook! Killian please, they will not hurt you, I promise.I won't let them hurt you, I promise, please listen. You must breathe, just breathe, no one will hurt you here – _you idiots, you're making it worse!_"

"What is this?" a voice asked, and the room suddenly went quiet. The head thug had returned, looking in on the scene with a look of disgust on his face. " We are on a tight schedule here, I told you bring them out 10 minutes ago!"

"The pirate attacked us," the thug holding Killian's arms reported. "And then he started kicking us, we had to restrain him, sir!"

"Just let him go," Emma heard a sudden plea, and she pushed against the man holding him so she could turn around and face David, who stood next to the man that was holding him, and was surprisingly calm.

"You are making it worse, can't you see he's just trying to get away?" David said, looking from the thug, then to the men still holding Killian down on the ground.

The thug paused, and then, to Emma's surprise said "Let him go, he's going to hurt himself more trying to get away if you don't. And Sir Ruber wants them uninjured and unfouled. Let him go. Block the entrance so he can't get out, but let him go."

The men holding Killian down exchanged skeptical glances with each other but did as they are commanded, releasing Killian and jumping back as he shakily stood to his feet.

"Killian," David said calmly, taking a few steps towards him

"Killian, I swear to you, it will be all right. No one here wants to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you," he said, and Emma watched as David aimed a death glare at the head thug that cleared promised worse things than murder if he's made a liar.

"Let Prince Blondiego too," the thug said, and the man holding Emma's arms pulls her back, away from David and Killian. Emma watched silently as David approached Killian carefully, hands stretched out, trying not to startle him more. d"Everything is going to be fine, Killian but you have to pull yourself together. They are not going to hurt us" he whispered softly.

Killian looked up at him, face crumbling with emotion.

"They won't stop. I can't make them stop. It's hurting me. Please, please I can't do this." he pleaded in a dry whisper and Emma felt her face burn with embarrassment that this raw moment of vulnerability must be witnessed by strangers

"It's all right," David said and then he whispered something to Killian that Emma couldn't hear

Killian nodded and straightened his shoulders. He griped David's shoulder with his hand and then takes a step back, indicating to the men that they could take him in now.

Emma watched in silence as the men close in again and Killian flinches a little, but when one takes him by the arm, hesitant, as if Killian will go crazy again without warning, Killian drags in a deep breath and willingly lets the men tie his arms behind his back with thick rope before walking with him out the door.

Another thug grabs David by the arm and leads him out next, not even bothering to tie him. The man next to Emma gives her a push forward and Emma walks out without a struggle.

And then another thug pulls a rough canvas bag over her head, and all she sees in darkness.

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Don't worry, next chapter we will finally meet Ruber and learn what he is up to! Stay tuned!

And please review :)


	9. Chapter 9

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When they finally arrived at Ruber's hideout, Emma was exhausted. This was not going well, but with all the other stuff that had happened, she found herself strangely calm. They would somehow get out of this.

"Sit." the thug demanded, and Emma was forced to sit on a hard bench. Then the bag was removed from her head. They were in a small room that was obviously underground. Mary Margaret, Killian, and David were sitting to her right. Even from a distance, Emma could see that Killian was shaking.

And that his arms were still bound.

One of Ruber's men gave her a toothy smile.

"Wait here, and be good. No escaping. Got it?" he told them.

Emma nodded silently and sat, not wanting to get them into deeper trouble than they already were. Snow was holding David's hand, obviously scared. Emma took Snow's other hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. This was scary, but they were going to get out of it. They always did. Killian sat silently, looking down at the floor.

The thug turned to leave, "Wait! Arn't you going to untie his hands?" David asked, pointing at Killian. The thug just sneered slightly before turning around and slamming the door shut.

"This is ridiculous. Did you see the way they treated us? Can't they see that one of us is hurt? What do they want with us" Snow whispered fiercely.

"Snow. Snow, calm down." Emma says quietly.

"No! No I'm not going to calm down. We need a plan— we need to ask Rump—" but then Snow paused, " Get Killian to the hospital." she finished, looking up at the door. Emma nodded, they were probably being listened to right now. Snow was right though, they needed to get Killian somewhere that he felt safe, so he could trust them again.

Being tied down in a dungeon of very people who kidnapped him in the first place probably wasn't helping at all.

"Killian, are you alright?" Emma finally asked, looking towards her friend.

Killian shrugged his shoulders and let out a shaky breathe, he nodded and whispered, "I'm fine. I'll be fine." without looking any of them in the eye.

"Will you be okay?" Emma asks, wanting to make sure that whatever happened at the station wasn't going to happen again. He needs to keep his cool if they ever wanted to get out of here. Killian shifted his arms and then winces as ropes cut into his wrists.

"I'll-I'll try, but I can't-" he winced again.

"Yes you can. You are strong."

"They're going to kill me. I know it. I can't—_-." _Killian muttered fearfully, looking helpless.

"Just stay—" Emma starts but then she is cut off by the door opening.

A tall man, with dark orange hair and copper body arm walked through. Emma assumed that this was Ruber. He smirked and walked over to Killian, who visibly flinched away from him then the man cuped his face with his hand and forces Hook to look up.

"Pleasure seeing you again, _Killian Jones_. Did you miss me? I'm glad you're back, we never finished out little game."

Hook jerked away from his hand and struggled against the ropes holding his arms.

Emma could tell he was fighting to keep control, to not completely loose it and it scared her.

"Why did you did you bring us here?" Emma asked, standing up.

"So rude. I haven't even introduced myself yet. I am Sir Ruber, _knight _of the round table."

Emma looked over him, in his armor and long red cape, he seemed just a tad crazy.

"You're insane."

"I'm so glad you noticed. I've been working on it for years!" He responded with a laugh.

"Why are you here?" Emma asks

Ruber walked over to her with a eyebrow at her, " Feisty one, aren't you, I can see why the pirate likes you. For the last 600 years I have been trapped away, and now that I am finally free, I intend to take back what is mine. I seek something that's in this land, an old relic that was once mine. A dagger, with the Dark One's name written on it."

Emma clenched her jaw. This creep was getting no where near Rumple's dagger.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we don't have it. He lost it long ago."

"That's what dear old Jones said too, and you saw what I did to him. I know when someone is lying, my dear Ms. Swan." he said with a smile.

"We. Don't. Have. It."

Ruber chuckled softly, then motioned for his thugs, who were stationed by the door to come over and bring Killian to him.

"You underestimate me, Ms. Swan. Let me assure you now that there is no chance of you, or anyone, ever stopping me, I have come this land to claim it as my own. To start a new age of war and violence."

He chuckled, "Your pathetic history books will soon be calling this the Ruberian Age."

Hook struggled against Ruber's men with all of his might as they brought him to Ruber. Emma saw all the color drain from Killian's face as Ruber grabbed his cheek roughly.

"Your pretty little pirate has the right idea to fear me. You were mistaken if you believed that Ruber was someone who'd crumble and leave. Now I am back, and I will be staying this time!" he cried, turning to face Emma.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, Ms. Swan or I swear to you, you will never see your pirate again. Where is the dagger."

Emma exchanged looks with Snow, and then David. They had to buy some time, before Ruber hurt Hook even more.

"Alright. Alright. Let him go, and I'll tell you what I know."

Ruber smiled and pushed Hook away. The thugs let him fall to ground with a thump. Ruber walked over to Emma and she forced herself not to crinkle her nose at his foul odor.

"I can get it for you, but you have to give me a day. It's hidden somewhere safe, a days journey from here."

Ruber looked at her, and Emma forced herself not to look away, to try to convince him that she was telling the truth.

After a full minute, he nodded.

"You have until sunset tomorrow. Meet me at the troll bridge, and come alone."

Emma nodded, "Deal."

Ruber waved his arms at his thugs.

"Escort Ms. Swan and her friends to our border. We have lots of work to do to prepare for the age of glory and doom!"

The thugs grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the exit.

"Wait!" Ruber said

Emma turned around, and she saw Ruber approach Hook, who scrambled away from him. Ruber picked him up effortlessly by the scruff of his neck.

"You forgot your pathetic excuse of a pirate."

And he shoved Hook towards them. David caught him as he stumbled.

"Easy, easy. We're leaving now. You're going to be fine." she heard David whisper.

Ruber's laugh echoed in the caves as Emma grabbed Snow's hand and ran.

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It's short, I know. But now you've met Ruber, and know what he's up to! Muaha.

More will be updated soon.

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

TRIGGER WARNING; mentions of sexual assault, and just lots of feels in this one. Please read with care.

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Emma waited until after they had left the mines, and after Ruber's men had escorted them beyond the protection spell to vent her anger.

"Who the hell does he think he is? What kind of land is Camelot anyway? Did you see the way he treated us? He could have just asked nicely, he didn't have to go out of his way to scare us." she ranted

"Emma, calm down. Please. Yes, that was scary but we made it out without a scratch—"

Emma pointed to Killian, who's head was bleeding from were Ruber had thrown him.

"Do you call this not a scratch?!—"

"Emma." David cut her off.

"What?"

"Not here. Let's get back to our place."

"But—"

"Now. We'll figure it out in the morning. Let's go." David said, and then started walking towards their home.

Emma sighed, and then turned to Killian, who's hands were still bound behind him.

"Here, let me help you." she said, then she took out her pocket knife and quickly cut the ropes before Killian could flinch away her.

"Let's get you cleaned up, come on you can stay with us at the Charming's." Emma told him, and then grabbed his arm, only to steady him. Killian shuddered then twitched _again_ right out of Emma's grasp. "I'm fine, I can walk myself." he murmured, then started forward, swaying dangerously.

"Hold on Hook, let us help you. It was pretty rough in there, you look like you're about to fall over."

"I'm fine." Killian repeated

Killian pulled his shoulders back, stood up straighter then started walking after Snow and David. When they reached the house Killian gave Mary Margarat a nod of acknowledgment but when she reached out to Killian in a simple gesture of camaraderie, Emma once again saw him flinch away.

David paused next to Emma, holding out his hand.

"We should get him to the hospital." he stated

Emma thought for a moment then shook her head. W_e don't have time._

"Let's just get figure out how to get rid of Ruber first, before he destroys the whole town. If it's really bad, then we'll go." She said. David furrowed his brow—

"Don't argue with me. He's a pirate, and more resilient than you think." she said, trying to convince herself that he's fine. She watched Killian as he walked over the the kitchen and accepted the glass of water Mary Maragret held out for him.

"He's still limping." David whispered softly.

"What?" Emma asked

"Killian. He is limping, look." and David pointed.

Killian must of heard, for he turned around to look at them, "I'm fine, David. Emma, stop worrying." he said, not quite meeting her in the eye.

Emma gave David a look, S_ee? If he says he's fine. He's fine. Stop worrying._

"Emma, we can pull out the couch, if you want to sleep here tonight." David said, motioning to the couch. Emma could tell he was still worried about Hook.

"That'll be great, thanks David. Here, I'll help you." She said, walking over to the couch.

When they were done, Emma silently looked around the room and wondered how on earth they were going to convince Mr. Gold to help them. Deep down she knew Gold didnt trust them, and even though he was Henry's grandfather, he always was distant with Emma. Emma knew Gold was their only hope of getting Ruber to leave. She shuddered slightly at the thought Ruber taking over Storybrooke.

Then Emma's eyes rested on Killian's jacket laying on the one of the kitchen table chairs. She sighed, what were they going to do with him?

Emma turned to see Mary Margarat sitting at the bar, pouring herself some tea, and Killian...Killian was where? He was just here a minute ago? She turned around, searching, "Where did Hook go?"

"I told him he could shower, I think he's in the bathroom." Snow answered, and then Emma heard the shower start in the main bathroom.

She walked over and joined Snow at the counter, accepting the cup of tea she held out to her. It seemed like ages ago that Killian had stumbled through Granny's. Emma couldn't believe that it had only been a day and a half.

"Hell of a night." David sighed, exhausted. He pulled out a chair and sat down next to Snow.

"Ill toast to that." Emma smiled and raised teacup.

"Where's the baby?" David suddenly asked

Mary Margaret's eyes widened in panic. "Oh my gosh. He's still with Granny!"

"No wonder you guys keep loosing children." Emma scoffed as Snow quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed Granny's number.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" David asked, motioning towards Snow, who was pacing back and forth on her cell.

"She saw a lot more than anybody should ever see last night."

"I don't think it's her we have to worry about." Emma answered, and David frowned.

Then they both looked at the bathroom door as they heard the shower stop..

"I'll go find him some clothes." Emma mumbled, and stood up. She headed towards the guest room. Once she had gotten the clothes-a soft black shirt and plaid pajama bottoms- she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Hook? Killian? I have some clothes for you."

There was a pause, and then a muffled "Thanks." but Killian didn't come to the door.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." but the phrase did nothing to comfort Emma. If anything, it sounded like Killian was anything _but _fine.

"May I come in?" Emma asked, and after a moment she took the silence for a yes.

Killian was sitting on the floor, wrapped in one of the the charming's white robes, kneeling over the toilet and dry heaving into the bowl.

"Killian? Killian are you alright?" she asked again , coming closer.

Killian started to nod, but then froze, "I-I-I..." he stuttered, and clutched the bowl. "Emma-I-_can't-_make it stop-ple-"

Emma knelt down next to Killian, noticing how Killian seemed to flinch away from her. She winced as she watched him vomit what little food he had eaten earlier. "It's alright. Just breathe. It'll pass, I promise." she told him, trying to be reassuring.

Killian shuddered, and then brought his head back up, pushing off the toilet and propping himself up on the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut and sat still for a moment, but then his eyes flashed opened and he gave a small smile, "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, love." he said in a raspy voice.

"No, no it's alright. It's nothing I haven't seen before. Henry's had the stomach flu enough for me to know what to do. Here, this will help." Emma said, then she stood up and wet a washcloth in the sink. Then she kneeled down and pressed it against Killian's forehead.

He flinched his head away from her touch, and Emma saw panic flash through him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you. Throwing up sucks. Hasn't anyone helped you like this to you before?"

His incredulous look said it all.

"Oh. That's alright. When I was pregnant with Henry, no was there to help me through the morning sickness either."

Emma moved again to put the wet washcloth on his forehead, and this time Killian didn't flinch away.

"Hold it here, it should help with that bruise too." Emma said, and then stood up and filled a cup with water from the sink.

"Swish and spit." she told him,

She sat down in front of him, crossing her legs and leaning up against the base of the sink.

"When did you become so motherlike, Swan." Hook asked as he put the washcloth down and took the cup from her.

Emma tilted her head, "When I became a mother. Regina created all those memories for me with Henry. I've been through plenty of flus. Or at least the fake memories make me believe I did."

Killian looked up at her, "Right. The whole second curse thing."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few moments, and Emma didn't fail to notice how Killian was still shaking. His encounter with Ruber tonight must have been terrifying, she couldn't even imagine what it felt like to see you captors so soon after you escaped from them.

From the way he was acting, deep down Emma _knew _exactly what kinds of games Ruber's men played with him and she knew how he must be feeling; scared, humiliated, guilty, _ashamed. _Because she too had been in the exact same spot, 15 year ago when she was just a child. She sighed, memories that she had worked so hard to suppress started boiling up to the surface.

_The pain._

_The fear._

_The hot breathe on her neck._

No. No. She was not going to go there. Not tonight, when Killian needed her to stay strong for him. She watched Killian fumble with the washcloth. He needed to hear something, something that would reassure him that he could come out of this in one piece.

He needed hope.

Emma sighed, "Let me tell you a story, about a girl I knew once who thought it was a good idea to run away from home."

Killian looked up at her, "Story time, is it?"

Emma smiled alittle, "Yeah, I guess so."

She took a deep breathe, "So this girl. She ran away from home and ended up in a not so nice place, where men did not so nice things to her. For a long time, she thought that this was the end, that she would never get over what they did to her. But then she realized that she had one thing that they could never take from her."

Emma paused, and Killian looked up at her. "What was it?"

"Hope. Hope that things would eventually get better."

"And did they?"

Emma nodded, "Yes. The girl was rescued from that terrible place by….let's say a knight in shining armor. He was her savior, and he took her to a good place, where no one would ever hurt her again. With a little bit of love, and support she was finally able to heal."

Killian looked up at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"This girl, was she okay in the end?" he asked in a thin whisper.

Emma nodded, "Yes. And you know what?"

"What?"

"What happened to her, in the end it made her stronger."

Killian nodded, but didn't say anything. He seemed to be thinking it all over.

And then finally, _finally _he reached for her with his good hand. She took it and squeezed, and even though he didn't say it out loud she knew he was saying thanks.

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Finally a little bit of Captain Swan for you all ;-) I'm going away this weekend with my fiancé, so the next update will probably be on Sunday, Monday at the latest.

Thank you for reading, and please pretty please review!


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